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GroBaby/GroVia

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mummy_mi
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GroBaby/GroVia

Postby mummy_mi » Sun Mar 07, 2010 7:07 pm

Manufacturer - The Natural Baby Company
Nappy Name - Gro Baby
Type of Nappy - AI2
Fastener - Front fastening velcro
Material - PUL outer, organic cotton inserts
Size - BTP 8-35lbs

Reliability: 10/10
Absorbancy: 10/10
Cuteness 10/10
Drying Speed: 7/10
Slimness: 10/10
Value for money: 9/10

My new favourite nappy!

Pros: The best thing about these is that you only to use 2-4 of the outer shells a day. I only change the shells if they get dirty (has only happened once) or after about 3 uses, the rest of the time I just snap in a new liner. They also come in fab colours, 4 plain colours, vanilla, kiwi, mandarin, blackberry, and 4 patterns, wild flowers, blue birds, sunset stripe and seaside stripe. The velcro tabs are nice and large, they velcro over eachother for a tighter fit and the actual velcro tab is hidden so you dont see the white bits when on. We have never had a leak with these, they do come with an extra booster but we havent need to use it yet, my LO is quite small and skinny but these fit great without being bulky. Although they are a bit more expensive then the average nappy, as you only need a few shells and then just extra inserts they will probably work out cheaper in the long run. Also even OH finds the snap in liners easy!!

Cons: They do take awhile to dry, we dont have a tumble dryer so I leave them on the airer or over a radiator and they take about 18 hours to dry, similar to our bamboo pop ins.
Last edited by mummy_mi on Thu Jun 03, 2010 8:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Vicki
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Re: Gro Baby

Postby Vicki » Sun Mar 07, 2010 7:16 pm

Great review - I really liked them when I tried them too - see Babybots are selling them now

Vickix

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mummy_mi
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Re: Gro Baby

Postby mummy_mi » Sun Mar 07, 2010 7:30 pm

Yeah, I got mine before they started to sell them from www.funkymonkeypants.com as they do 2 shells, 4 inners and 2 booster for £45 plain colours or £48 patterned which is a bargain tbh. The wild flowers pattern is absolutely stunning on and I love showing it off to people!

xx

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Marie04
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Re: Gro Baby

Postby Marie04 » Wed Apr 07, 2010 9:05 am

Manufacturer - The Natural Baby Company
Nappy Name - Gro Baby
Type of Nappy - AI2
Fastener - Front fastening velcro
Material - PUL outer, organic cotton inserts
Size - BTP 8-35lbs

Reliability: 10/10
Absorbancy: 10/10
Cuteness 8/10
Drying Speed: /10
Slimness: 10/10
Value for money: 9/10

A very good nappy that I find myself reaching for more and more!

Pros: I was lucky enough to win an experiance go baby set at a raffle so have got to try these lovely nappies for free! I have very impressed, and am considering buying more (I don't really need more, but when did that come into it?! :giggle: ) They are a lovely slim fit, and are excellent absorbant nappies. These lasted well overnight with the booster in on my heavy wetting 8 month old son - no leaks and it was on from 7pm-8am! :shock:
The velcro fastening is lovely,in fact I prefer the design to any other velcro nappies I have. Soft, and very well fitting, I tried one on my 3.5 year old overnight and they fitted him as well as they fitted my baby.

Cons: The booster is quite slow drying, even after a night on the radiator it often needs another night. Plus, I find that poo's are staining the liners much, much more than with other nappies. I am hoping that when we get some sun I can get my nappies on the line and bleach the stains out with the sun!

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twiggy56
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Re: Gro Baby

Postby twiggy56 » Sat May 01, 2010 6:27 pm

iv just got one of these at the babyshow and its sooo nice! Its the maroon with flowers and had 2 prewashes ans lasted baby aaages! Dries quite quick with the insert snapping out too! 5 stars from me.

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mummy_mi
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Re: GroBaby/GroVia

Postby mummy_mi » Thu Jun 03, 2010 8:53 pm

Thought I would re-review this as they have renamed the system and added a few new features.

The GroVia System
http://www.gro-via.com/product-list.php

Manufacturer The Natural Baby Company
Nappy Name GroVia Hybrid/AI2
Type of Nappy AI2
Fastener Velco but a few colours are now available in snaps (Kiwi, Vanilla & Mandarin)
Material PUL outer, organic cotton inserts
Size BTP 8-35lbs

Reliability: 10/10
Absorbancy: 10/10
Cuteness: 9/10
Drying Speed: 8/10
Slimness: 10/10
Value for money: 9/10

Overall Comment: Highly recommended

Detailed Comments
This is an all in two system, the organic cotton soaker pads snap into the outer shell, meaning that you can just change the pad rather then the whole nappy, so less washing and you get more uses so cheaper then buying a nappy for each change. The new features are that the soaker pads have proper leg gussets to contain mess on the pad so it doesnt go onto the shell (as used to sometimes happen) so the shell can be reused more. This works really well and, the mess stays where it should, the soaker pad also seems to be made slightly different, they are slightly larger then previous and feel slightly different, softer, which has also seemed to reduce the drying time slightly which is a big bonus for those without a tumble dryer. The soakers now also have a waterproof backing so that pee does not get onto the shell, so yet again making the shell last longer before changing it, another thumbs up. The shells themselves are still virtually the same but with the addition of laundy loops, when going in the wash simply push the velcro wing part under a loop to stop it coming undone in the wash and attaching itself to other nappies, a brilliant idea, so far it works but it is a little fiddly.

My previous comments still stand, they fit lovely and trim, we've never had any kind of a leak with them and they hold a lot of pee, can easily go 4 hours, maybe even overnight with a booster added. The design of them in still lovely, a shame all the colours dont come in snaps yet but on the plus side they are adding 2 new colours at the end of June and some more patterns in Autumn, which we're looking forward to. They are still a little pricey but seeing as these will last you to potty training and given the fact you only need say 12 shells and 24 soakers for suggested full time use they probably do work out slightly cheaper then the organic all in one full kits on the market, they are more expensive then Flips but I think they are better quality, fit and look better and will last longer.

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taznmaple
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Re: GroBaby/GroVia

Postby taznmaple » Thu Jun 02, 2011 12:19 pm

Manufacturer:
Nappy Name: GroVia AI2
Type of Nappy: AI2 BTP
Fastener: Snaps
Size: OSFM

Reliability: 9/10
Absorbency: 9/10
Cuteness: 8/10
Drying Speed: 7/10
Slimness: 9/10
Value for money: 7/10

Overall Comment:
Highly recommended


Detailed Comments:
I have 3 shells and 6 inners, one shell is one of the first GroVia shells, the other 2 are newer and seem to be slightly larger. I love these and would use them more if I had more of them.
Pros:
- very slim-fitting and compact - I use these in my nappy bag because they take up so little space
- really absorbent - they last forever and with the boosters last even longer (TBH I haven't really needed the boosters)
- a good fit on my skinny-minny and have been since birth - think we've only ever had 2 leaks and they were explosions that nothing could have contained
- if you run out of inserts you can use the shells as a cover over a fitted or flat nappy
- easy to use - Grandma was able to pick them up no problems

Cons:
- drying time is very slow for the inserts & they have a tendency to stain (but sunlight deals pretty well with this)
- not sure how good these are for newborns who poo with every nappy as that really means a shell change with every nappy
- you have to make sure the insert is tucked fully inside the shell at front and back!

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Dancing mum
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Re: GroBaby/GroVia

Postby Dancing mum » Thu Jun 25, 2015 8:09 pm

Reviewing as although there are quite a few reviews already I have used the hemp inserts rather than the cotton ones as previously reviewed and there are a few more options now too...

Image
Manufacturer: GroVia
Nappy Name: GroVia Hybrid
Type of Nappy: Hybrid / AI2
Fastener: Snaps (also available in hook & loop).
Material: Outer is 100% Polyester - TPU shell with polyester mesh lining. Soaker pad - option of organic cotton / 55% hemp & 45% cotton / microfibre / compostable disposable. All with TPU backing.
Size: one-size nappy to fit 8-35lbs

Reliability: 10/10
Absorbency: 10/10
Cuteness: 10/10
Drying Speed: 8/10
Slimness: 10/10
Value for money: 9/10

Overall Comment: Fabulous!

Detailed Comments:
As previously described they are made up of a waterproof 'shell' with a super soft polyester mesh lining which keeps baby's skin feeling dry and the shell fresh. There are then absorbant soaker pads which are snapped onto the shell. The idea is that as long as the shell is not soiled you can just change the soaker pad so the shell can be used several times (I wash after 2 / 3 uses). This makes the nappy more economical (and hopefully the shells will have a longer life) as you require fewer shells than soakers. The soaker pads come in pairs so I have 4 shells and 8 soaker pads and could even do with a couple more soakers to make full capacity use of the shells. Looking ahead to the future the resale value of the shells and soakers seem good so this eventually helps on an economical level.

Image
There are now 4 options for the soaker pads:
STAY DRY - 4 layers of hemp (55%) and cotton (45%) mix with a soft microfleece top layer to stay dry next to baby's skin. It is in 2 sections joined only at the top and bottom to aid a speedier drying. The soaker has a TPU backing which not only keeps wetness away from the shell allowing you to reuse it but also enhances the overall efficiency of the nappy further reducing the risk of leaks. In addition they have a microfleece gusset which helps keep poop from over spilling onto shell or worse still escaping altogether.
This is the soaker pad I have used and they are fantastic. The microfleece stays beautifully soft and they are super absorbant. The 2 section design is really useful for drying as I do not have a tumble drier so I turn them inside out and peg one section to clothes horse so air can pass through to underneath section to speed up drying. As a comparison they tend to take about the same amount of time to dry as my 2 layer Little Lamb bamboo boosters.
ORGANIC COTTON - another 2 sectioned soaker with a cotton jersey top layer, cotton leg gussets and TPU stay-dry backing. These are the original soaker pads which I haven't tried myself but have been reviewed several times by others.
NO-PREP - 4 layers of microfibre terry with microfleece top layer, soft leg gussets and TPU waterproof backing. These soakers are designed to be fully absorbant after just 1 wash.
I haven't tried these myself but a friend has and she was amazed. She was in a rush and took it straight out of packet and fixed to the nappy (no pre-wash at all) and it worked a charm. To quote her 'it's magic'!
BIO SOAKER PADS - a disposable option made from natural 100% Ingeo spunbound, non-woven fabric with an absorbant biodegradable wood pulp fibre centre. Only 3 grams of SAP (Sodium Polyacrylate) gel used compared with 10-20g in 'normal' disposable nappies. These also have the TPU under-layer to keep shell dry. These have no plastics, chlorine, fragrance or dyes and are compostable (if only wet), so for a disposable nappy option they really do seem very environmentally sound.
I haven't tried these yet but am seriously considering getting a packet (come in packs of 20 / 50) for our long journey to and from New Zealand at the end of the year so we won't arrive and immediately need to stick loads of dirty nappies in MIL washing machine!

There are also additional organic cotton or hemp stay-dry boosters available to lie inside the nappy, however I have not tried these (and haven't felt extra absorbancy necessary) so can not comment on their effectiveness.

The nappy as a whole is surprisingly slim fitting as the shape and design of both the shell and soaker pads have very little bulk to them. The section between the legs narrows slightly (in a similar but in my opinion more efficient way to an Itti Bitti) so they don't have as much of a 'just got off a horse' look when walking around like I tend to find with many other nappies.
The snaps can overlap for small babies and at a tall 15 months and 24+lbs we are still on the middle rise settling with more width allowance left. With only 1 row of snaps the nappy is quick and easy to put on, yet I find it fits just as snugly as my nappies with separate leg and waist snaps. Due to its simplicity and fit I would recommend this as an easy nappy for grandparents / child care and I imagine the hook & look version would be even easier.
The photo of the nappy above is taken at the fitting she currently uses. Even with a chunky buba it really does seem like this could last us through to potty training.

The containment is fantastic, even with a LO that is very regular and a heavy wetter I have never had an escaping poop explosion in one of these nappies and the only leaks (of which there have been very few) have occurred when I didn't get chance to change her in time so she was in nappy for 3.5 - 4+ hrs.

On a frivolous level the prints are gorgeous and I think quite different from the designs most other nappies have. They also have lovely bold block colours. These nappies definitely give my LO a bum I want to show off.

In short I love, love, love these nappies! Although they are not cheap I personally think they are well worth the outlay and you really can reuse the shells so don't need as many. I would love to get more if I could.


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